Workman&#39;s time recorder



Aug. 28, 1951 P. FEHR 2,566,125

woRxMANs TIME RECORDER Filed sept, 2e, 1947 E' Z A y i :M Il

NNY

/NVE/v TOR PAUL F/SHR T ORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 28, 1951 woRKMANs TIME RECORDER.

Paul Fehr, Zug, Switzerland, assignor to Landis & Gyr, A. G., Zug, Switzerland, a corporation of Switzerland Application september 26, 1947,' seria1Nm 776,312 I .In switzerland october 2s, 1946 The present invention relates to improvements in workmans time recorders and more particularly to mechanism in such recorders for making automatic adjustments to accord with the number of days in particular months.

Objects and advantages of the invention Will be set forth in part hereinafter and in part will be obvious herefrom or may be learned by practice With the invention, the same being realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention consists in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described. A The accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate one embodiment of the invention, and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

In time recorders or apparatus for checking Working time, devices are known for setting the check-card holder day by day, in which a card stop is brought at regular intervals of time, by means of control mechanism, into a highest or maximum position, after which, on actuating a pawl, the stop reverts to its original position. The check card thereby comes every day into a higher position relatively to the printing mechanism of the apparatus, and the return of the card stop is effected according to the wage period in use-for instance 7 or 14 days. If a monthly wage period is in use, the check card is printed on both sides. On one side there are days for one motion of the card stop and on the other side, according to the number of days in the month concerned, for every motion of the stop there are 15 or 16 days, or 13 and 14 days (normal February and leap year). In accordance with this variable number of days, the card stop must be re-set by hand at the end of each month to the original position. This monthly adjustment of the apparatus is troublesome and wastes time, besides which it calls for special attention, as if the setting is forgotten, the check card will be wrongly printed as regards the times.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate this drawback and to provide a device for operating time check apparatus for the day by day setting of the stop for the check card, in which a driving device for the check card stop is automatically adjusted to accord with the number of days in the particular months of the year.

The accompanying drawing shows in diagrammatic perspective view an illustrative example of the invention.

Of the working-time-check apparatus only what is necessary to elucidate the invention has, been shown, viz. the time wheel I, which isA driven by clockwork and is assumed to make one rotary member I of this escapement mechanism is driven by a source of power, which is assumed to be a spring barrel 8, and is positively connected through bevel gears and a pinion 9 with the gear wheel I9 of a driving device. The gear wheel I is loosely rotatable on a stud shaft I2 which is rigidly attached to a frame plate I I and carries a ratchet Wheel I3 to rotate with the gear wheel. On the stud shaft I2 a second gear wheel I4 is loosely rotatable and it has a crank arm I5, on which is mounted a pawl Il by means of a friction bush I6. This pawl, with the pawl element I8, coacts with the ratchet Wheel I3 and has a projection I9, arranged to abut a fixed stop 20 on the stud shaft I2, and has further an arm 2I carrying a pin 22. The gear wheel I4 of the driving device has a lifting pin 23 and is operatively connected through gear wheels 24, 25 and a rack 26 with the check card holder 2.

On a stud shaft 21 on the frame plate I I a disc or stepped abutment member 29 is freely rotatable and forms a rigid whole with a ratchet wheel 2B. This disc 29 is provided on its periphery with steps or notches 30 and carries a slide 32, with an abutment edge 33, which can be adjusted radially thereon by screws 3|. The disc 29 lies in the plane of motion of the arm 2l of the pawl I'I and the path of motion of the abutment edge 33 intersects that of the pin 22. On the disc 29 there is fitted a disc 34 bearing the months of the year inscribed in a circle. A ratchet detent wheel 35, which forms one piece with the ratchet wheel 28 and the disc 29 and which coacts with a pawl pivotally mounted on the frame plate, prevents these parts from reversing.

In the diagram, the abutment edge 33 is axially offset relatively to the slide 32. The abutment edge 33v could, however, also be aligned with the slide 32 and in place of the pin 22 the arm 2l could be enlarged at its free end, so that this enlargement would act in conjunction with the abutment edge 33.

With the ratchet wheel 28 a feed pawl 36 engages resiliently, and the latter is carried on a pivoted lever 31, which coacts with the lifting pin 23 and is mounted so` as to be freely rotatable on the hollow shaft which connects together the parts 28, 29 and 35. In front of the disc 34 a pointer 38 is rigidly mounted on the stud shaft 21, and this pointer shows the monthly setting of the disc 29. Y

The feed pawl 36 is controlled by a finger or stop 39, which forms one arm of 'a bell crank lever 39, 46 and is carried on a stud shaft 4I rigidly attached to the frame plate II. A spring 42 holds the bell crank lever-'3-9, 4I) with an aperture 43 in its arm 40 against a stop pin 44', i. e., in the position controlling the pawl 36.

The method of operation of the arrangement above described is as follows, it being assumed forthesake'of" example that the wage period in use is a monthly one:

In the position of the mechanism shown, it is assumed that an end-'of-mnth shift has taken place. l'Accordingly the'check card holder 2 vis inits lowest position, and the lifting pin 23, through the pivoted'lever 3T and the pawl 36, has fed forward the ratchet wheel 28 with' the disc 29, and this position ofthe holder 2 is effected by the projectionIS'on the pawl 'member IT resting againstthe stop 2G' and by the engagement of the pawl member: I'8`with`th'e ratchet wheel I3.

'The spring mechanism 8 is not acting, as the escapement 6,' 'I'i's locked vand the'feeler arm 4 isfree from the rider' 3 and so the gear wheel III is'stationary. When in the course of rotation of the'time wheel 'I the rider '3 'raises the arm 4', the rotarymember 'I of the escapement is released andthe spring mechanism 8 turns the gear Wheel I0, and its ratchet wheel yI 3 Vcarries along the gear Wheel' I4 through the pawl member Il' and this lifts-'the card holder 2' through the gear wheels 24', 25. The rotary member 'i is, however, only released for half a'revolution, as'the'escapement mechanism Gi, "I, which is ofv a well known type, immediately impedes its rotation once more, and'- thettran'smission in the gears is such that on this half' rotation, the cardholder 2 is raised by one* day, according to the printing on the check card. After a further '24 hours, the rider 3A 'again vreleases theescapeme'nt mechanism Ii, 'I and the driving device' Ill', |13, I"I,` I5, I4 raises the card holder by a further day in accordance with the printing on the' check card.

DuringV thisl daily lift of thecard holder, the lifting pin 23-v moves away from Vthe end o f the pivoted lever 3T so that aV spring 45 fitted on the pivoted lever 3l' can move thesepartsl in va coun'- terclockwise direction, until the pivoted lever 3T comes to rest ata stop Nien the frame plate I-I.

After the card holder 2.v hasbeen lifted for 15 days according to the' printing on the check card, the arm 2l of the pawl member Ii'I strikes against the periphery of the disc 23,so that the pawl element 1.8: of. theV pawl member Il is released from the' ratchet wheel. I3 and the cardholder 2,. its weight being supported' by a spring l1 acting on thez'toothed wheel. 24, reverts toY its initial position. Towards the end of this falling movement,v thelifting pin 23 strikes the'p'ivoted lever 31 and turns it with thev ratchet pawl 36, whereby thev latter turns the ratchet wheel- 28 with the disc 29 by one step. lIn. this movementof the feed pawl 3.6,. the-stops!) preventsthepawl from leaving the teeth of the ratchet wheel 28.

lift of the card holder 2 commences for the sec.

ond half of the month. lf the month happens to have 31 days, as assumed in the drawing, a notch Sii'ofthe disc 23' lies in the path of motion of the arm 2l of] the pawl element I1, and the arm 2-I` only rises vafter afurther day, as in the previously described daily motion of the card holder 2, i. e., after 16 days on the bases of the notch 30, and effects the release of parts i3, I8 of the driving device and the drop of the card holder 2 into its initial position.

The further forward movement of the disc 23 brought about in this drop bythe parts 36', 3"I, againV brings 'part of the periphery of the disc into the path of movement' of the arm 2I ofthe pawl member il, so that in the next shifting cycle of the card holder 2, again corresponding to the rst half of'a month, the card holder is again raised up to the 15th day.

In the month of February, 'for this first part, the resetting of the holder 2 Vis effected as for the other months after the 15th day, but in the cycle of the second half of the month, the pin 22 strikes the abutment edge 33 of 'the slide -3`2',and the latter, for years in which February has the norinterference with' the apparatus for guiding the cardholder correctly is no' longer necessary, and control is carried out automatically after a single long term setting;

x On putting the apparatus into service, in order to be' able to set the monthly Vdisc 29, the arm 40 is moved against thevaction of spring 42, whereby the pawl 33 is released from the stop 33.

The invention in its broader aspects is not limited to thespecific mechanisms shown and described but departures may be made therefrom,

within the scope of the accompanying claims,

without departing, from. the principles of the invention and without Vsacrificing` itsV chief advantages. v

What I claim is.:

1. A workmans time. recorder comprising` a card holder, means for periodically moving said holder away from an originalposition and-meanscooperating with said first means for periodically Apermitting the return of. said holder to-its original position, said. first meansI including a pawl andy ratchet wheel drive and saidA second' means inc ludinga stepped abutment member having steps corresponding to the number of calendar days in individual months, arranged in the path of said pawl to be engaged thereby and disengage thel pawl from the ratchet wheel, whereby said hold:- er ispermitted to-return toits original position;

2. A workmans time recorder as claimed in claim 1 in which said stepped abutment has xed abutment steps corresponding to the xed differences between the number of days of certain months and an adjustable abutment step corresponding to the month of February.

3. A Workmans time recorder as claimed in claim 1 in which the stepped abutment member comprises a circular element having a notched periphery and an adjustable element having an abutment edge axially displaced from the plane of the said circular element and the said pawl carries an extension engageable with said adjustable element.

4. A workmans time recorder as claimed in claim 1 in which said moving means also includes a pair of gear wheels one of which carries said ratchet Wheel and the other of which carries said pawl, a xed stop to engage said pawl with said ratchet Wheel upon the return of the card holder to its original position, paWl and ratchet wheel means for changing the position of said stepped abutment member and a projection upon the pawl carrying gear wheel to actuate said last pawl and rathet wheel means.

5. A Workmans time recorder as claimed in claim 4 in which the rst mentioned pawl is mounted by a friction bush upon its gear wheel whereby upon disengagement from its ratchet Wheel by said stepped abutment member it remains disengaged until reengaged by said xed stop.

6. A workmans time recorder as claimed in claim 5 in which a spring pressed finger engages the pawl urging it toward engagement with the ratchet Wheel in the means for changing the position of the stepped abutment member.

'7. A workmans time recorder as claimed in claim 6 in which the nger is laterally movable out of engagement with the pawl whereby said stepped abutment member may be changed as to position free of said Dawl and ratchet Wheel means.

PAUL FEHR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,143,364 Crook June 15, 1915 1,357,461 Larrabee Nov. 2, 1920 2,286,902 Deane et al June 16, 1942 2,389,345 Dell et al. Nov. 20, 1945 2,430,402 Jonsson Nov. 4, 1947 

